Bullet Club targets Takahashi at Summer Struggle

After a knock-out show yesterday it was back to more wishy-washy tag matches as NJPW’s Summer Struggle tour moved on today.

The main event pushed the Los Ingobernables de Japon feud with Bullet Club further as leader Tetsuya Naito and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi fought Evil and Taiji Ishimori again.

Dick Togo was back in the corner of his Bullet Club pals. Just like it makes no sense that Bayley and Sasha Banks are able to linger outside the ring during their partner’s solo matches in the WWE, there is no reason Togo should be allowed at ringside unless he is a manager but..wrestling logic.

Takahashi and Naito knock Ishimori out of the ring so they can double team Evil. Natio yanks on Evil’s hair even though Red Shoes gives him the business. Takahashi is taken out early on leaving Naito to wrestle a handicapped match for most of the bout. Togo takes matters into his own hands choking out Naito on the floor. Bullet Club feigns innocence when Red Shoes gives them a disparaging look.

Shingo and Suzuki cannot wait to meet for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Courtesy: NJPW.

Evil throw Naito so hard into the barrier that it shifts the others attached to it. Takahashi is hot-tagged in. He goes nuts on Evil chopping him down to size…for a while. Evil dives out of the way so that Takahashi’s shotgun drop kick hits Naito instead. Naito is driven hard into a corner stunning him.
Ishimori punishes Takahashi shoulder then Evil whacks it with a steel chair pinning him with Everything Is Evil. Takahashi sells the injury rolling around on the floor as Evil spouts off in the ring.

Summer Struggle August 27th Results

Yota Tsuji versus Yuya Uemura

• Winner: Yota Tsuji. Yota Tsuji gets the Young Lion victory with a spear, a swing and a Boston Crab.

Tomoaki Honma, Yuji Nagata and Satoshi Kojima versus Chaos (Yoshi-Hashi, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto)

• Winners: Chaos (Yoshi-Hashi, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto). Same finish we have seen previously in Summer Struggle. Honma submits to Yoshi-Hashi’s Butterfly Lock. Kojima goes after Ishii as does Nagata.

Chaos (Sho, Toru Yano and Kazuchika Okada) versus Bullet Club (Jado, Gedo and Yujiro Takahashi)

• Winners: Chaos (Sho, Toru Yano and Kazuchika Okada). Gedo pulls out his brass knuckles and is caught by the official. Jado goes for his kendo stick. Yano punches him in the “lower abdomen”. Yano blocks the Gedo’s knuckles with a turnbuckle pad then whips Gedo into the exposed steel. Gedo submits to Sho’s arm bar.

Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi, Sanada and Shingo Takagi) versus Suzuki-gun (Douki, El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki)

• Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi, Sanada and Shingo Takagi). Shingo and Suzuki escalate their feud as they brawl on the floor and throughout the match. Douki submits to Sanada’s Skull End. Shingo taunts Suzuki. Suzuki executes a weak chair shot on Shingo from the apron. Young Lions swarm Suzuki. Shingo punches and head butts Suzuki. Suzuki destroys some Young Lions just for fun.

Master Wato, Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi versus Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi)

• Winners: Master Wato, Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Wato takes Kanemaru’s whiskey bottle away. Ibushi and Wato clean Kanemaru’s clock. Tanahashi pins him with High Fly Flow.

Los Ingobernables de Japón (Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito) versus Bullet Club (Evil and Taiji Ishimori)

• Winners: Bullet Club (Evil and Taiji Ishimori)